


Feline gifts

by Aki_Haru



Series: You never have to guess (that I love you) [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Mementos trips, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25712242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aki_Haru/pseuds/Aki_Haru
Summary: Sojiro is shaking his head, but the amused smile never quite leaves his lips. “He realises that they are all cats, right?”Yusuke shrugs, picking up Akira’s bag and preparing to follow after him. “From my point of view, Akira has simply provided sanctuary for the cats in Yongen. Some form of kinship with them.”“From cats?” Makoto questions exasperatedly.Yusuke shrugs a single shoulder, “Affection knows no bounds, after all.” he says cryptically before moving up the stairs.--------------In which Akira is Cat Dad, and his kids bring him gifts. (He loves them all)
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Polythieves
Series: You never have to guess (that I love you) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798834
Comments: 4
Kudos: 216





	Feline gifts

The first instance starts like this: 

“Keep feeding them and they’ll start living under your bed.” 

Akira looks up at the sound of Sojiro’s voice, smiling sheepishly at him. Akira is crouched just outside Leblanc in the alleyway between the bathhouse and the coffee shop; a suitable spot for feline creatures to roam about. There’s an orange tabby curling around his ankles, purring happily as he holds out kitten treats in his open palm. 

“Sorry boss.” Akira mutters, ducking his head down. Sojiro scoffs, flicking ash from his cigarette as he evaluates the scene. “Having one with you isn’t enough?” Sojiro asks, looking pointedly at Morgana, who for his credit, is lounging near their plants, glaring unhappily at the tabby. 

Akira shrugs, turning his attention back to the orange tabby. When Sojiro doesn’t get an answer, the man just sighs and shakes his head, “Don’t go bringing any of them into the shop, ya hear?” he says right before he heads back in, the chime of the bell following his footsteps. Akira breathes a small laugh when the cat starts licking at his fingers, treats all gone. “Sorry, Oyen, boss says you can’t come in.” 

_ “Mrroowwww.” _ The cat responds, eying Akira with its orange eyes. The feline meows loudly once more, before dashing off down the street. Akira stands, dusting off the fur from his pants with his hands and watching Oyen go. Morgana huffs at him, “I don’t know why you feed them so much. Can’t believe you even named him! They’ll get spoiled.” 

“As if you’re not as spoiled. And for the record, I name all of them!” Akira retorts, smiling when Morgana _hmphs_ and scratches at Leblanc’s door, ready to be let back in. “Hey now,” Akira starts, opening the door, “Don’t do that, boss will get angry. Then you’ll be on treat withdrawal.” 

“Futaba would never make me go through such a thing.” Morgana says back with just the type of self assurance that only he can manage. He trots back into the coffee shop, but just before Akira follows, he spots a fancy hairclip clinging to the bottom of his pants. He unlatches it from where it got caught in a loose thread, and eyes it critically, “Hm, maybe I can make Ann wear it. Wonder if it has any effects in Mementos…” 

Akira ends up wearing it himself, marveled when the accessory somehow gives him _ night vision _ of all things. A helpful thing, when you’re running through a dark floor in Mementos accompanied by the rest of the Thieves’ battle cries. 

-

Some gifts aren’t as useful, but Akira treasures them all the same. 

He comes back from school one day, casually strolling through the streets on Yongen, squinting at the items in the antique store and wondering if he could re purpose anything when something brushes against his legs. 

Akira looks down and huffs at the small grey cat yowling at him. Mona groans, struggling free from the confines of his school bag before jumping out and running off. Akira rolls his eyes, thinking  _ jealousy _ . 

The grey cat glares at him, nibbling his shoes. Akira crouches before she can do more damage, and grabs her by the scruff of her neck, “Mai, I told you, I can’t afford fancy tuna for you!” he whines, the cat hisses at him, before slumping in his grip. Akira laughs at the feline, standing up and pulling her close to his chest instead, cuddling her for all she’s worth. 

The man watching the store chuckles at him, drawing both of their attention. “You’re the only one she allows to touch her you know. Must be lucky. Just yesterday she scratched a boy, made the poor kid cry.” 

Akira feigns a shocked gasp, looking down at the cat with faux anger, “How could you! Play nice!” he scolds. Mai hisses at him, biting his fingers and hand none too gently. Akira laughs as Ash kicks his chest, pushing away from him and landing safely on all four feet. She flicks her tail at him and leaves with a smoldering look. Akira eyes the bites on his hands and sighs. The old man in the store laughs at him, before offering him some ointment. 

“No thank you, it’s gifts from her majesty.” Akira grins. The old man smiles, and then points to his blazer, where a chewed up cat toy- one with a badly damaged feather attached, hangs from his pocket. “Well, her majesty treats you well then.” 

Akira pulls out the toy, no bigger than his palm, and laughs at it. The fake bird is missing an eye, cotton is starting to fall out from its neck, and the tail feather is so badly damaged it looks like a string. 

Akira tucks it back into his pocket, where it’s safe for the rest of his journey to Leblanc. 

-

In the next week or so, Sojiro shocks him by holding out a sparkly piece of red underwear at him. Lingerie. Sexy red thing. Akira is trying to figure out why Boss would hold something like that in the first place. 

Makoto and Yusuke are behind him, and while Makoto’s face turns bright red, Yusuke simply tilts his head and picks it from Sojiro’s fingers. 

Makoto is muttering curses and wondering  _ which one of them left that here _ under her breath, which is making it very hard for Akira  _ not  _ to laugh. Sojiro smirks at him, and says, “Want to guess who left it here?” 

Akira goes for a long shot and says: “Goro?” 

Sojiro furrows his eyebrows at him, trying to figure out if he’s joking. Makoto’s scandalised gasp doesn’t help matters, even if the corners of Yusuke’s lips twitch up into a smile. Food for thought. 

“I wouldn’t mind wearing it for any of you.” Yusuke hums. Akira smiles at him, endeared, “Not now, Yusuke.” he chides. Sojiro clears his throat, but he doesn't look mad, if anything, he just looks amused. 

“It’s a gift.” Sojiro says, grinning once more. Akira takes the bait, setting his bag down and letting Morgana climb out. Sojiro watches as Morgana snatches the fabric from Yusuke and then starts sniffing it like a heathen. Morgana scrunches his nose, makes an undignified sound, and starts yowling at Akira. 

Sojiro takes pity on them and supplies: “A certain Chinchilla cat left it here.” 

“A chinchilla?” Makoto asks, puzzled. Akira grins, taking the lingerie from Mona and tucking it into his pocket, before he spins around to point a finger at the rest of them, “Mine. No touchy. This means Satoru does love me, cat scratches and yowling and all!” he proclaims, running up the stairs to the attic to (most probably) put it into the box where he kept all the rest of his ‘gifts’. 

Sojiro is shaking his head, but the amused smile never quite leaves his lips. “He realises that they are all cats, right?” 

Yusuke shrugs, picking up Akira’s bag and preparing to follow after him. “From my point of view, Akira has simply provided sanctuary for the cats in Yongen. Some form of kinship with them.” 

“From  _ cats?” _ Makoto questions exasperatedly. 

Yusuke shrugs a single shoulder, “Affection knows no bounds, after all.” he says cryptically before moving up the stairs. Makoto sighs, rubbing her temple, “Sorry for all the trouble, Boss.” 

Sojiro waves her off, “It’s no trouble. Better cats than a flock of girls at my doorstep.” 

Makoto laughs shakily. 

-

The next time he meets one of his kids, Ann is on a date with him, debating whether they should try their luck at the batting cages. Ann is huffing at him: “No way am I going to let you get all those home runs! Nuh-uh, no sir, let’s do something else. A movie! Something!” 

Akira is huffing back: “Hey! I didn’t level up in my proficiency levels for you to deny me my right to home runs!” 

“I swear, you and Futaba have your own language. But I’m putting my foot down, Akira. No more. No more showing off.” 

“Annnnnnnn.” Akira whines. 

“Akira! No!” 

“Annnnnnnnnn. C’monnnnn.” 

“Hell no!” 

“Ann-” 

_ “Meow.”  _

Akira pauses, blinking in shock. Did Ann just meow at him- 

_ “Meow.” _

Ann looks down at their feet, so naturally, Akira drags his gaze to the ground too. Two kittens are blinking up at them, eyes wide and fixated on Akira. Akira gasps, dropping to his knees and scooping them both up and pressing them to his face. The kittens start to mewl in earnest, purring against his neck and cheeks. Ann watches as Akira gushes. “You two! I haven’t seen you in forever! Where’s your mom huh?” he coos, pulling away to stare at the two patchwork kittens. Their fur grows in patches of orange and black, with the occasional white spots. “Ann, these are Mei and Emi!” he says, holding their faces towards her. They’re the ugliest kittens she has ever seen, so of course Akira would name them _ beautiful _ and  _ blessing _ . 

Ann thinks that the world doesn’t deserve a man like Kurusu Akira. 

She hides her smile in her fingers, sneakily pulling out her phone and snapping pictures of one of her boyfriends cooing at the cat. A tail curling around her leg makes her jump in surprise. Then, her face is widening in another smile, giggling at the fat cat at her feet. It’s sitting right by her shoes, licking her paws. “Is this the mama cat?” Ann asks, grinning as Akira gasps again, making grabby motions towards it. The cat doesn’t budge, just continues to stare at Akira with a judgmental gaze. Akira glares right back at it. Neither of them move. 

Ann laughs, watching the exchange. Finally Akira puts the kittens down and rummages through his bag, pulling out some kind of treat in a plastic wrap. He rips the top off, and pushes the ends of it until a little of what she assumes is wet cat food appears at the top of the ripped end. 

“Here!” Akira yells, startling her. Ann starts to laugh loudly when the cat finally moves, licking the package happily. “God! Kenta you’re so fat!” he scolds. Ann laughs even harder, “You’re the one feeding her! And Kenta? Isn’t that a name for a male cat?”

Akira glares at her, “She’s big and she’s strong. She’s cute and she’s my kid. And these kittens are my grandkids. I have to feed her. If not, who will. And Kenta is  _ purrfect, _ excuse you.” he states, staring her down evenly. Ann rolls her eyes, crouching to play with the kittens. 

Later, when Kenta leads them to an even hidden alley in Yongen, Akira tears up at the sight of even more kittens. He coos at the litter and at Kenta, exclaiming how she did a good job and these were perfect gifts for him but they needed to get them to a proper clinic to care for them. Ann makes sure to snap all the pictures that she can.

Even later, Ann sends the photos of Akira and the cats to their group chat, titling it  _ “Akira’s gifts from a fat cat.” _ ; grinning when Akira sends a flurry of exclamation marks and messages that barely contain his embarrassment. The rest of their group tease him and call him cute. Akechi calls the behaviour disgusting, but she guesses that he doesn’t know that the chat sends a notification whenever someone saves photos. In this case, Akechi saves every single one. 

The thieves don’t say a word about it. 

-

There are other types of gifts of course, a few coins here and there, colourful leaves that Akira makes the effort to press and dry so he can keep and use it as a bookmark. Some of them are helpful in Mementos; some of them, _really_ helpful. 

The shadow has him pinned to a corner. It his own fault really, he pushed Ryuji out of the way from an incoming attack, knowing his equipped persona could handle the blow and take the shadow out. He didn’t anticipate another one to bubble up behind him and manifest as an _Oberon_ of all things. Akira is perfectly capable of taking it out, it’s a weak shadow, it’s just, well, it took him by surprise and now that thing is coming towards him with a sword and Akira is rolling out of the way and bracing himself for impact— a bright flash of light from his own chest blinds him and sends the shadow stumbling back with a cry of rage. 

Makoto is quick to take it out with a powerful cry of  _ Agnes _ , a nuke spell ready and casted before Akira can even begin to collect himself. Mona is already kneeling next to him, checking for injuries while Akechi takes it out with a megidolaon (which,  _ wow _ , overkill much?). 

There’s not a scratch on him, except for the broken pieces of the small toy flashlight that was hanging loosely on his coat, a gift from one of the cats he was quietly fostering at the laundromat. His teammates fuss around him, Haru clutching at his shoulders worriedly, her lower lip trembling as she presses kisses to his forehead. 

Akechi scoffs, kicking at imaginary gravel before he turns to look at Akira and the broken object at his feet. Akechi scowls at him from beneath his black mask, “What, pray tell, is that? Can’t say I’ve seen it before.” 

Yusuke is staring at the object, frowning down at it and nudging Ryuji. Thus, Ryuji is the one to pick it up to examine it, and with a frown, he says: “Dude, isn’t this that toy flashlight that cat gave you? The one that likes to bully Mona by tugging on his ear.” 

“I do not get  _ bullied- _ ”

Akira quickly nods, cutting Mona off, “Toshi.” he provides simply, taking the object from his blonde partner. He grins at his team, “Guess we owe a cat for my life.” he laughs. 

Makoto sighs, and Futaba cheers something about a  _ special item _ . Akechi huffs, pulling Akira to his feet and lightly smacking him in the chest. He’s not bluffing anyone, they can all see the concerned tense to his shoulders, “Your babying of those felines came in handy after all.” 

Akira grins, all teeth. He fiddles with the toy before he’s putting it in his pockets, ushering the rest of the team to move along. “Let’s go, the sooner we finish this request the sooner I can go back to thank Toshi for saving my life.” 

Sumire giggles, “I’m sure Toshi would be happy you are alive and well.” 

Futaba scoffs, “Watch the cat try to claw Joker’s face off for even attempting to pet him.” 

True enough, when he gets back to the real world he tracks down Toshi and immediately bundles the fluffy cat in his arms, uncaring of the hisses and the yowling that are screamed into his ear. 

\- 

“Kurusu Akira! You come down here right now!” 

Akira jolts awake, startled by the volume of Sojiro’s yell. He clambers downstairs, glasses forgotten on his windowsill as Morgana awakes with a confused  _ “Blergh?”.  _ It’s so early that Leblanc isn’t even open yet. 

“Wha- what is it. What happened.” he heaves, preparing himself for some form of reprimand or something. He’s trying to adjust to the morning light when he catches sight of Sojiro standing by the door, his face ashen. 

“Boss? What’s wrong?” Akira asks carefully. Sojiro steps aside and- oh. It’s just Tama. She’s just sitting there quietly, staring at Akira with a look in her eyes that just demands attention. 

“Boss c’mon. My kids visit me all the time.” he grumbles. Sojiro glares at him, pulling him closer to the door. Upon a closer look, Akira can discern the problem. He’s immediately awake, and he’s crouching down to pet Tama. The cat starts to purr, nuzzling into his palm. 

“Awww you’re such a good kitty. Thank you for the gift, Tama. Have you eaten yet?” Akira asks, smiling at the black cat. 

_ “Mreow?”  _ Tama responds helpfully. Mona comes padding down the stairs, and when he looks at the gift Tama bought, collapses in laughter. Sojiro looks at Morgana and groans, loudly. 

Akira looks up at Sojiro hopefully, “Can I keep her gift?” 

Sojiro’s face falls, and then he’s clutching a broom in one hand. “Absolutely not!” he exclaims, voice final. 

“Tama gave it to me! She has never given me anything before!” 

“I can accept a piece of sparkly lingerie, kid. But  _ a dead rat? _ You gotta be kidding me!” he exclaims, pointing an accusing finger at the dead rodent on his doorstep. 

“Boss, c’mon!” Akira whines. Sojiro shakes his head, shoving the broom towards him. “When I open shop it better be gone. _You better not keep it.”_ he warns, moving aside to head back home while Akira takes care of the little problem. 

Later, Morgana would be laughing in his ear as he googles  _ ‘what do you do when your cat gives you a dead body as a gift’ _ . Tama would be munching happily on a bowl of cat food just outside Leblanc, but most importantly, Akira would be smiling, spending his day wandering the streets of Yongen Jaya, a trail of cats following after him as he ventures out to buy more cat treats. 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this tweet: ( https://twitter.com/Furi_da/status/1290493667891752962 )   
> ren's so loved by the yongen stray cats that sojiro always finds small trinkets, leaves or dead carcasses in front of leblanc. ren keeps some that sojiro approves--
> 
> "no. the dead mouse stays the hell out of here kid"
> 
> "but this is a gift from tama..." :'(


End file.
